Bottle crate



July 1, A1941. w. w. ROBINSON 2,247,620

BOTTLE CRATE Filed Jan. 18, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 July l, 1941. W, w,RoBlNSON 2,247,620

BOTTLE CRATE l Filed Jan'. 18, 193s 4 sheets-sheet 2 July l, 1941. w. w.ROBINSON 2,247,620

' BOTTLE CRATE' i Filed Jan. 18, 1936n 4 lSheets-'Sheet ISv July l,1941. w. w; ROBINSON 2,247,620

BOTTLE CRATE Filed Jan. 18, '1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 .Patented July 1,1941 unirse smi;

r oFFics signer to Cumberland Case Company, Chattahooga, Tenn., acorporation of Tennessee Application january 18, 1938, Serial No.185,616

4 Claims.

The present invention 'relates to a bottle crate adapted to convenientlyreceive a plurality of bottles for transporting the same to and from thelocation where they are to be sold. The particular construction of thecrate disclosed herein is for bottles of the type now used for packagingsoft drinks, beer, milk and the like.

A principal object of the invention is to provide such a bottle cratewhich is characterized by the simplicity and cheapness of itsconstruction, yet which will be sufficiently rugged to withstand hardwear without becoming damaged.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a crate or caseinto which the bottles can be quickly inserted, and which will firmlycarry the bottles during transportation without the bottles moving inthe compartments which receive them, thus avoiding breakage of thebottles and reducing undesirable noise toa minimum.

The invention as disclosed in the application comprises an outsidecasing or shell having a perforated top plate defining the openings tothe bottle receiving compartments, the latter being formed by a simplearrangement of wires or rods in such fashion that the bottles areintimately embraced and retained in position. Crates of thepresentinvention are so constructed thatY they can be convenientlystacked one upon anotherr during transportation or while in storage,without danger or damage to the bottles.

As will appear from the description of the invention., the variouselements forming thecrate are so assembled that no sharp edges arepresented to the bottles during the loading or unloading of the crate,and the simplicity of the construction makes possible easy cleaning ofthe same. While the construction permits the bottlesV of Figure 9.

inspected when they are in the crates, but also if desired, in order tokeep the contents of the.

bottles cool during storage or transportation.

Furthermore, the skeleton-like construction of the crate is such thatthe bottles may be cleaned.

or sterilized while in position in the crates.

eral preferred forms ,of the invention and which are in no senserestrictive: Y K Y Figure l is a top plan view of a preferred form of acrate of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevational View, partly in section, of the crateshown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a bottom elevation of the type of crate shown in Figure 1.1l Figure 4 is an enlarged lsectional View oan en d of the cratetakenalong the line 4f4 of Figure 1y. Figure 5 is a similar enlarged Yview ofapart of the crate, taken along line 5- -5 of Figure 1. Figure 6 is ahorizontal sectional view of one of the bottle compartments, taken alongthe line B-S of Figure 4. FigureA 7 is an enlarged perspective viewofthe bottle guiding opening inthe top plate of the crate.

Figure 8 is a similar perspective View of a modiiied construction of thebottle guiding opening in the top plate of the crate.

Figure 9 is a horizontal sectional view of a part' of a modiiied form ofcrate.

`Figure 10 is a vertical sectional'view hof the modification of FigureV9, taken along the line ID-IU of Figure 9.

Figure 11 isa similar Vvertical sectional view of this modiiication,taken alongthe line- H-H Figure 12 isa perspective view of one of thebottom Wooden plates of this modification, having associated therewithone of the elements for forming the bottle pockets.

Figure 13 is a View similar to Figure 9 of a further modiiication of theinvention.

Figure 14 is a vertical sectional view of the modification of Figure 13,vtaken along thefline lf3-M of Figure 13.

Figure 15 is a similar vertical sectional view of this modification,taken along the line l5-I5 of Figure 13.

Figure 16 is a perspective view of the bottom grill of thismodification,V showing associated therewith a modiiied form of bottlepocket forming elements.

Referring to Figures 1 through 3, the crate is mounted within aone-piece enclosing casing of thin yet strong metal, comprising atopplate I0, side walls I2 and end walls I4. While it is most convenientfrom the` standpoint of economy to form the top, sides and ends of thecrate from a single piece of metal by stamping the same into aloon-likev construction with the bottom open, if

, necessary, the sides and ends may be made from, In the drawings, whichare illustrative of sev- A one sheet of metal, and the top made from aseparate sheet of metal, the top being secured to the sides in anysuitable fashion as by welding.

Extending throughout the top l0, are a plurality of bottle guidingopenings i6, these openings leading to the bottle supporting pockets,and there may be any convenient number of openings and pockets asdesired. In the described Vembodiment, twenty-four openings and pocketsvare disclosed to receivetwo dozen bottles. Y

At the timevthe metal casing is being stamped from a single sheet ofmetal, or during a step of the fabricating method after the stampingoperation, the bottle guiding pockets t6 fare formed in the top plate lof the casing. These openings may be formed .in any convenient fashion,but the preferred --manner Ais to form four radially extending slitsfrom lthe center-of each opening, the slits beingafquadrantszdistanceapart, and then bend the sector-shaped sections of metal formed by theslits downwardly into, the interior of Vthe. cas ing a ts shown in,Figure 2, to form four downwardlyextending tongues 2.0the sides. of saidtongues' taperingdownwardly and inwardly toward theirlowerends.','Ifheinner suriaces ofthetongues ,are formed to correspond with the`shape-l of the bottles,l `in this ,instance cylindrical. In ordertoeliminate any sharp edges on the upper face of thefcrataduring ,theformation .of these-bottle .guiding openings, the metal is forced--,dwnward1y into. the .crate `from the upper surface ,thereofthroughout diameters greater than vthe diameters ofthe slit'portions of.the top,so that the louter or 4-npper edgetf22 of each` slit, as shownin Figure. 2, is spacedirom the upper surface I0' of the crate. rIf'he-downwardly extending tongues 2 0 ynot only serve -to guide 4the'bottles into their pockets, but also form securing vmeans for theelements of Athe bottle fpOket vskeleton construction asYlier-einafter-described. j

The lower end of the sides-and ends'tZfand 1:4 of the casing 4may f .berolled upwardly and inwardly to form arfrigid'bead 24, or la separatewire lof relatively heavy gauge and of the same shapeas the outline ofthe l.crate maybe welded within the lower end of the case to form aVVsupport for the bottle lpocket .skeleton construction as hereinafterdescribed. i

Extending throughout the length ofthe crate, at the lower end thereof,isa bottom comprising a plurality .of spaced longitudinal supportingbars or rods 26, these rods being welded at their'dends to thecasingabove the lbeacllN -or to the upper side of the supporting -wirewhich -may take the place of the vbeadin an alternative form oi theinvention. There should be suiT-Vcientpf -these longitudinally"extendingwires or -rods'jZ-S, and they should be spaced in such even fashion,that the bottles may be supported thereon without the possibility of anybottle or edge thereof extending through the grill-like work formed jbythe rods.

' In order to make the skeleton pocketforming arrangement more rigid,any number of transverse rods 2 8 may be provided, said rodsextendingyacross the lower end of the casing from one side to the other at rightangles -to the longitudinal rods, Vand being welded at their ends to thecasing or the bead 24. In order to make the construction even morerigid, each of the rods 28 may be welded to each of the longitudinalrods 26 at points 'where said rods intersect one another. 'With thisarrangement, the longitudinal `rods V26 form a bottom support for thebottles, and said bottles are supported against any lateral movement bythe tongues 20.

In order to further facilitate the convenience of insertion and removalof the bottles from their supporting pockets, vand to irmly'hold them inplace therein, a plurality of pocket forming wires or rods are provided,each of said rods having upright members 3U and a connecting cross,member32,the upright members vand the cross member being formed from'asingle rod of metal bent into substantially U-shape, the connectingIcross member of the U resting on the upper `surfaces of thelongitudinal rods 26, and being secured thereto in any appropriatemanner, as

.byiwelding As best shown in Figures 5 and 7, teach-tongue 2D has anaperture 34 extending fthere'through, and the upper ends of the uprights@30..of .each VU-shaped rod are bent outwardly of the bottle pocketsthrough an angle of substantiallyl9`0 to form hooked ends y36, each endbeing adapted `to .be passedlthrough the aperture V.S14 `in itsrespective tongue. Themetal of the'tongue below each aperture 34.ismbent outwardlyto form a concave .channel ,on `theinner wall of .eachtongue Aexteniriing*from .the aperture therein to the lower end of thetongue. Referring toFigure 5, this channelisof suiiicientdepth tocompletely house the upright A3,0 of the pocket-iormingrod therein, so,that thewall of each y.pocket is-straightY from the upper surface ofthecasing down to the Abottom ofthe pocket.

InFigure 7 the tongues f2.0 are shown .bent

the 'longitudinal bottom rods '26, 'the rods being" so formed that theirupright portions are `a quadrants distance apart in vertical alignmentwith `:the point-s of 'the' tonguesZ, so Ythat an uprightrod'isprovidedon four sides'o'f 'the bottle being supported.

The'bottle pockets are formed withoutthe need of any intermediatehorizontal rods for members so thatthe bottles ymay be quicklyregisteredwith the-openings t6 and permitted to vdrop -into their Y pocketswithout the possibility of the `lower ends ofthe `bottles vcatching onor in-anywayengag ing anypart of 4the vstructure which'would pre-V ventor delay their complete seating `vin Atheir pocket. Were `it ,necessary`to provide horizontal cross rods in forming the pocketsat any pointabove the lower ends thereof,y it is quitelikely, and yhas been .foundto Abe the case in the past, that the bottles engage these crossmembers, thusV preventing their complete insertion. A I'hev truth Ofthis `will be seen when it is considered .thatY under the conditions inAwhich these crates .are lled, it is necessary to Very rapidly alignandinsert the bottles into their pockets.

into Icrates just as they come Vfrom a bottle lling machine, and asthese machines now operate,

Very rapidly, the .attendant llingthe Vcrates must likewise work withsome speedin order to prevent a number of bottles fromaccumulatinguncrated.

Referring t0 Figurefi, it .will be noted thatthe For ,in-v stance, itmay be that the bottles are inserted bottle receiving pockets arerelatively shallow, although they are of suflicient depthto prevent abottle dropping from the compartmentsin case the crate is tilted ordisposed in condition other than being ilat on its bottom. The bottlereceiving pockets may be of increased depth as desired, depending on thetype of bottle being transported, but I have found it convenient to havethe pockets of such depth that they extend substantially half way of thelength of the bottle being carried. 1

In assembling the crate, the sides, ends and top fabricated as bystamping operations, from a single sheet of metal. In this, or in asubsequent operation, the radially extending slits are formed in the topplate l of the casing, and the tonguesy 20 are bent downwardly toprovide the bottle guiding openings as previously described.

The longitudinal rods or wires 26 and the transverse supporting rods 28are then assembled within the casing above the bead 24 thereof, and arewelded to the casing as previously described in the proper spacedrelation as disclosed in the drawings. The U-shaped pockety formingrods, having previously been bent to the form shown in the drawings, arethen inserted down into the casing through the bottle guiding openingsuntil their connecting cross members are supported on the longitudinalrods 26, and the hooked ends 36 of said members are then insertedthrough the openings 34 in the tongues 26, after which said hooked endsare welded therein and the cross connecting members 32 are welded to theupper surfaces of the longitudinal rods 26.

If a separate supporting ring is used in place of the inwardly turnedbead 24, the longitudinal and transverse rods 26 and 28 may be assembledthereto in proper spaced relation, as previously described, and securedby welding, after which this preformed assembly may be inserted into thelower end ofthe casing and welded thereto, this step being followed bythe insertion of the Uv-shaped members as previously described. If thispractice is followed, the lower end of the casing will not be bent in-toa bead, if at all, until after the above assembly is inserted. Thebottle guiding tongues may be carried by a collar formed from a separateblank 40 as shown in Figure 8 and inserted into openings in the upperplate I0 of the metal casing if desired, as shown in Figure 8. In thisembodiment, the tongues are formed from a circular disc by forming theradial slits therein as previously described, and bending tongues formedby said slits downwardly until the outer and upper ends of the slits 44are disposed at points below the upper flange 46 of the disc, afterwhich the tongues are inserted into the openings 42 in the top plate ofthe casing, and the flange 46 of the collar is welded to the surface Il)of the casing.

Referring to Figure 1, it will be noted that substantiallydiamond-shaped areas 48 exist between the opening I6 after said openingsare formed. If it is desired to further lighten the crate and if themetal from which the casing thereof is fabricated is sufficiently rigid,the metal defining these diamond shaped areas 48 may be removed.

In the ends i4 of the casing, suitable openings l) may be formed, asshown in Figure 2. the metal surrounding said openings beingbentinwardly and upwardly in the form of a rolled bead providing aconvenient hand hold for use in lifting the crate.

In Figures 9 through l2, a modification of the invention is disclosedwherein the bottoms of the bottle supporting pockets are formed byspaced wooden plates or boards 52. These boards form relativelyyieldable bottom plates for the pockets, so that if the bottles aredropped violently therein there will be no danger of shattering orchipping the bottles. I'he boards 52: are positioned in the lowerportion of the crate extending longitudinally thereof between the endsI4 of the casing. Each of the boards is provided along its longitudinalcenter line with a plurality of properly spaced apertures 54 extendingthrough the width of the boards, and each board is provided with atransversely extending slot 56 in its upper surface to receive portionsof the pocket forming elements as hereinafter described. Successivepairs of apertures 54 and slots 56 are positioned beneath successivebottle guiding openings in the top plate of the casing a distance apartequal to the widths of said openings.

Extending along the longitudinal center line of each board 52, and inthe lower face thereof, is a groove 56, said groove connecting with eachof the openings 54.

'I'he vertically extending bottle pocket forming elements 58 areU-shaped, and are identical with those described in connection with theprincipal embodiments of the invention, for instance, as shown in Figure4 except that their connecting cross members 66 are provided with asmall U-shaped downwardly extending portion 62, which is small enough topass through the opening 54. In assembling the pocket formingelements tothe bottom boards, the U-shaped portions 62 of said elements areinserted downwardlyT through the openings 54 until they lie in thelongitudinal channel 56, after which a retaining rod 5I is threadedthroughout the length of each board, passing through the U-shapedportions 62 of the pocket forming elements, and retaining them inposition, the connecting cross members 6D of said elements lying in thetransverse grooves 56 so that they are flush with the upper surface ofthe boards.

The ends of each Iboard are cut awai7 transversely across their lowersurface as at 63 to form a ledge for supporting the boards in thecasing.

The assembly described above including the boards and the pocket formingelements are assembled together as previously described, and then thisassembly is laid upon a substantially rectangular wire 64 which is of aconfiguration adapting it to be disposed within the lower end of thecasing, accurately fitting the inner wall of said casing as shown inFigures 9 and 10. The wire 64 is received beneath the ledges 63 of theboards. Before the assembly is inserted into the casing from the lowerend thereof, spacing rods 66 are welded to the interior of each end ofthe casing as shown in Figures 9, 10` and 11. These spacing rods extendonly across the ends of the casing, and are bent downwardly intosubstantially U-shape as at 6B in Figure 11, the downwardly bentportions being of proper length to accurately space the boards `52 fromone another. The U-shaped spacing portions 68 are disposed betweenadjacent boards 52 as shown in Figure 11 when the bottle pocket formingassembly is inserted into the lower part of the casing. When saidassembly is inserted, as shown in Figures 10 and ll, the lower edges ofthe sides and ends of the casing are flanged inwardly around the wire 64as shown at 10, to hold the assembly in place. It will be understoodthat the spacing rod 66 is welded or in similar fashion secured to theinterior of the casing at the desired position, and if necessary, the'wire 64 may also be welded in place,- thus rigidly holding the pocketforming assembly in place.

As shown in Figures and l1, the upper ends of the pocket formingelements 58 may be bent outwardly and retained in apertures extendingthrough the tongues in the kmanner identical witli'that described inconnection with Figure 5. However, if desired, in this modication, thechannels in the tongues 2l) may be omitted.

l'n'the modification of the invention of Figures 13 to 16, the bottlepocket forming elements 14 are nat strips of metal bent intosubstantially U-shape, in such fashion that their surfaces at theirupper ends lie substantially in the'inner surface of the cylinder formedby the tongues 2U. These elements are formed from a at strip of metal,and their upwardly extending portions are bent from their crossconnecting member 16 at an angle as shown at 'I8 in Figure 16.

The bottom of the crate in this form of the invention is provided by aplurality of longitudinally extending flat strips of metal' 80 which arewelded at their ends to a substantially rectangular wire 82 which is ofconfiguration adapting it for insertion within the lower end of thecasing ofthe crate, to accurately t the inner walls thereof as will beunderstood. When' the bottom has been formed by welding the longitudinalstrips 80 to the lower side of the wire 82, the pocket forming elements'I4 are then welded to the upper surfaces of the rodsU in properposition Aas shownV throughout the gures, after which this assembly isinserted into the lower end of the casing as shown in Figures 14 and 15,with the upper ends ofthe pocket forming elements extending above thelower ends of the tongues 20, after which the wire 82 is Welded to theinner surface of the crate. The upper ends of the pocket formingelements 'M are then subsequently welded to the inner surfaces of thetongues :20, or if desired, openings may be provided through the tonguessimilar to the openings 34 of Figure "I, but of proper shape torreceivethis modified form of pocket forming elements, and the upper Yends ofVsaid elements maybe bent through apertures in the tongues in the mannerheretofore described. However, it is preferred to merely weld the upperends of the pocket forming elements to the' interior surfaces of thetongues 20. To give the pocket forming assembly of Figure 16 `increasedrigidity, 'as many transverse strengthening rods 84 as desired mayV bewelded at their ends across the upper side'o'f theV bottom wire 82.After the pocket forming assembly is inserted `and the wire 82 welded tothe oasingthe lower edges of the casing may be flanged inwardly belowthe wire 82 if convenient.

It will be apparent that I have provided' a crate construction whichdeparts radically from the constructions previously used, and One whichis of pronounced simplicity, yet which is rugged enough to withstand thehard usage toV which these crates are subjected; In each modication ofthe invention, the bottle receiving pockets are so designed that noprojection or transverse supporting member is provided 'to catch thelower edge of the bottle and prevent it from completely Y dropping intoits pocket. YThe pockets..are so formed that they support the bottle ata sufficientnumber of=points to insure that it will not move around andVbe damaged during loading or transe' portatien of the crates. In Yeachinstance, Vthe pocket formation is sufficiently fleznble to provide someyielding movement if the .bottles Varesforced with considerable pressureagainst the w'alls'for the pockets.

It will also be apparent that while the bottlesV are held in placewithout the likelihood of falling out, nevertheless, a minimum amount ofmaterial is used in forming the crate. VWhile the overall height of thecrate of this invention is relatively short, this does not prevent thecrates from being stacked one upon another. In each embodiment of theinvention, it will be noted that the parts forming the bottom of thecrate are close enough together to permit the crate to be stacked on thetops of the bottles inthe crate below. The

shortening of the height of the crate is advan-` tageous from thestandpoint of economy-of material and weight, and also permits anincreased area of the sides o'f the bottle to be visible forYinspection. y

It will be apparent that various vmodifications Vof the constructionsshown herein may be made without departing from the range of theinvention. Particularly, the constructions vdescribed' may be modifiedas necessaryrtc receive different types of bottles.

I claim:

1. A bottle crate comprising a casing havinga"v top plate of metal, saidcasing having a bottom formed of a plurality of parallel rods spacedfrom said top plate and rigidly secured at their .ends to said casing,said top plate having aplurality of bottle guiding openings therein, Vaplurality ofv metal tonguesY extending downwardly from said plate intothe interior of saidrcasing from each of said openings, and a pair ofbottle- ,pocket forming elements associated with each of formingelements being rigidly secured to one ofl said tongues.

2. A bottle crate comprising arcasingV having "a4 top plate of metal,said casing'hajving a bottom formed of a plurality of parallel rodsspaced fromV said top plate and rigidly secured at their` endsv to saidcasing, said top' plate having a plurality of bottle guiding openingstherein, a plurality of metal tongues extending downwardly from `saidplate into the interior of said 'casing from each of said openings, andapair of bottle pocket forming elements `associateol'with each of saidopenings? said elements comprising a 'pair of vertical nat metal stripsattached at their lower ends by "a flat horizontal connectingmetal'strip', the nat `sides of said upright strips which face thebottle pockets lying in planes substantially tangential to thecylindrical portion of a bottle when the latter is received in saidpockets, said connecting strips extending transversely'of 'the parallelrods ofsaid base and being Welded thereto, the upper end of each of thevertical strips Vof said pocket 'forming elements being Welded to one ofsaid tongues.

3. A bottle cratecomprising a casing having Ya top plate of meta-l,saidrcasing having a bottom formed of a plurality of parallel rodsspaced from y said top plate and rigidly secured at their ends 'to saidcasing, said top plate havin'ga' plurality 'of bottle -guiding fopenings therein, 'each of said openings having a bottle guiding vcollarinsertedv therein and secured to said plate, said *collars having aplurality of metal tongues which extend V downwardly vfrom said plateinto the interior fof .said casing, `anda. pair of bottle pocket formingelements associated with each of said openings, said elements comprisinga pair of upright members attached at their lower ends by a connectingmember, said connecting members extending transversely of the parallelrods of said base and being rigidly secured thereto, the upper end ofeach of the upright members of said pocket forming elements beingrigidly secured to one of said tongues.

4. A bottle crate comprising a casing having a 10 top plate of metal,said casing having a bottom formed of a plurality of parallel rodsspaced from said top plate and rigidly secured at their ends to saidcasing, said top plate having a plurality of bottle guiding openingstherein, a plurality of metal tongues extending downwardly from saidplate into the interior of said casing from each of said openings, eachof said tongues having an aperture therethrough, and a pair of bottlepocket forming elements associated with each of said openings, saidelements comprising a pair of upright members attached at their lowerends by a connecting member, said connecting members extendingtransversely of the parallel rods of said base and being rigidly securedthereto, the upper end of each of the upright members of said pocketforming elements being bent outwardly of the pockets to extend throughthe aperture in one of said tongues to secure said elements to saidtongues.

WILLIAM W. ROBINSON.

